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Are E-Cigarettes Safe for Pregnant Women?

Quitting smoking of all kinds – conventional cigarettes or even e-cigarettes – is the best medical advice for pregnant women, experts say. Advertising Policy Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy It’s best to quit smoking … Read More

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No medical study available to clear smoking of any kind

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

It’s best to quit smoking as soon as you decide to conceive, says obstetrician and gynecologist Rebecca Starck, MD.

“Smoking is not safe in pregnancy, and cigarettes clearly have carcinogens that have been proven unhealthy for the baby and the mother,” she says. “So you should try to quit before even getting pregnant.”

When it comes to e-cigarettes and their safety for pregnant women, she says there is no way to assure that e-cigarettes do not harm a fetus. However, no good, randomized studies with pregnant women have been conducted — primarily because researchers can’t find enough women who are willing to subject their fetuses to the potential dangers.

So, at this time, there is not enough reliable medical data to state that smoking e-cigarettes is safe for pregnant women.

What about nicotine-free e-cigarettes?

Some e-cigarettes do not contain nicotine, one of the primary carcinogens in regular cigarettes that is also highly addictive. The user enjoys the experience of smoking, but inhales a nicotine-free vapor, not smoke.

“Often people are not only addicted to the nicotine, but they’re addicted to the habit of holding a cigarette, and that alone can give them some relaxation,” Dr. Starck says.

However, she says that if you smoke and find comfort in holding the cigarette and are trying to quit, you should use nicotine-free e-cigarettes only as part of your effort to become a non-smoker.

“If you’re not able to quit cold turkey, this could serve as a transition step that hopefully will allow you to quit altogether before or during your pregnancy and minimize the exposure to the baby,” she explains.

Some strategies for quitting smoking

According to Dr. Starck, when you’re contemplating pregnancy or when you actually become pregnant, it’s usually an ideal time to stop smoking, because you have greater motivation to quit.

Don’t light up, even if you think you can stop at one. Once you quit, you cannot ever “just have one.” As soon as you have one, Dr. Starck says, the next thing you know, you’ll be buying another pack.

What about nicotine supplements?

As far as using nicotine supplementation of any kind, Dr. Starck says many people do have success using supplements during a short time frame.

“We feel it’s better to use supplements in the non-pregnant state, because we don’t want you to have any nicotine intake during pregnancy,” she says. “But if you are preparing for pregnancy, you can use nicotine gum or patches. If the habit of holding the cigarette is something you are also addicted to, then the e-cigarette could be an option as part of your plan to quit.”